Marsha Runs?

3 miles at 34:04 (11.36 minute/mile) after 5 min elliptical warmup. First mile was 11:11. Felt good today. No shortness of breath.

My Story...

This October, my sister and I have committed to running in San Francisco for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am doing 13.1 miles in the Half-Marathon, and my sister will be doing 26.2 miles for the Full!

For those who have known us for a while, you know we are both BIG couch potatoes. You can read Elaine's story on the donation site -- as for me, my decision began at the beginning of the year. I was sitting in a bar and talking to some people around me. And I realized more people than I expected (non-runners) have trained and run half or full marathons. Two of my closest friends have already ran half-marathons before and spoke highly of the experience. When my friend Anita talked about her experience with the Nike Half-Marathon, I became excited about the prospect.

I'll be honest -- in the beginning it wasn't about the honor or accomplishment of completing the distance. It was about the fact that it was a women-focused event in beautiful San Francisco, and the Tiffany finisher necklace and pampering at the finish line! The whole thing was painted out in my head like it was a luxury vacation! (nevermind that I have to put my body through stress and struggle to get there!)

But the more I thought about it, the more excited I became, and the more committed I was to making this a reality. I think something about the advent of being "in your thirties" invigorates the sense of wanting to be healthier, stronger, and needing a sense of accomplishment. I never considered myself a person who had the endurance to do something like this. These type of things were meant for "athletic people".

So it became my New Year's Resolution this year to complete the half-marathon. After all, I had 10 months to train. Plenty of time to get myself in shape. I grabbed the Oprah Half-Marathon training schedule and got on the treadmill. This was January and I could barely walk a full mile without catching my breath. I was determined tho, and within 2 months, I was doing 3 miles easily.

That was when I convinced my sister to do the Half with me. She said she would, but I don't think she was fully convinced we were going to actually do it. Then she saw I was actually running. My sister not to be outdone, began running and soon surpassed me in mileage. Her and her ambitious attitude decided she was going for the gold and decided to do the Full, running with Team in Training. I'm sticking with the Half -- I like to keep my goals realistic. ;)

So we both have our own major goal to complete this year. It is an arduous road, and we are both working hard to get there.

But we both need your support in raising money for a really great cause. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

I am running in honor and celebration of my friend, Tara, who is a Type B-Cell Lymphoma survivor!

You can make a donation by visiting our combined donation site:

Please use the link above to donate online quickly and securely. You will receive a confirmation by email of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

I really appreciate all the support I've received so far. Please tell as many people as you can and encourage them to donate as well! Also come back to this page frequently to check out my progress!

Marsha Runs?

I DID IT!!!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

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